The coronavirus is most deadly if you are older and male — new data reveal the risks

The coronavirus is most deadly if you are older and male — new data reveal the risks

Age is the biggest predictor of who will die

Four studies (three of which have not yet been peer-reviewed) from Spain, England, Italy and Geneva, Switzerland, pinpoint the infection fatality ratio (IFR), which is the proportion of people infected with the virus, including those who didn’t get tested or show symptoms, who will die as a result. All found that the IFR was close to zero in younger people and rose steeply from around the age of 50. For every 1,000 people in their mid-seventies or older who are infected, around 116 will die. Men are also almost twice as likely as women to die from the disease.
Nature | 6 min read
Read more: Scientific American digs in to why age and sex raise the risk of getting very ill — as well as the influence of other factors, such as underlying conditions and social inequality. (14 min read, from 20 August)
Reference: medRxiv preprint 1, medRxiv preprint 2, medRxiv preprint 3 & The Lancet Infectious Diseases paper